Solar Technology

Solar Tuki

In Nepal, 2.4 million households are to this day compelled to use kerosene based Tuki for household lighting, as they do not have access to electricity (either because of the geographical remoteness from the national grid or because of not having the capacity to pay for the electricity connection even in the place where national electricity grid is available). This form of lighting is neither cost effective nor is it environment friendly

Objective

To displace kerosene lamps by solar based household lighting (known as Solar Tuki) through the integrated approach of community mobilization and technological intervention.

Key intervention

To promote solar tuki, various trainings and orientations are conducted. So as to make the solar tuki affordable to the population living below the poverty line, micro-financing mechanism has been developed by mobilizing local saving and credit groups, enabling the people to purchase it on an installment basis.

Some of the social impacts are:

Light: clean, white and smokeless light, which can be moved around (irrespective of rain or wind storm)

Radio: able to listen for a longer time without having to worry the increase in cost

Poverty eradication and a new economy: resource (sun) is made into an economic value, creating employment

Education: allows children to study longer

Environment (no fumes emission, no indoor pollution)

Better health (less amount spent in medicine, soap)

Reduced fire hazards

Two types of systems are being promoted:

House-to-house charging system

Community based multiple charging system – in which the users bring the tuki to get it charged in the center (and pay monthly fee)